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Skin keeps time independent of the brain
A study has now found that a type of opsin known as neuropsin is expressed in the hair follicles of mice and synchronize the skin’s circadian clock to the light-dark cycle, independent of the eyes or brain.
“This is the first functional demonstration of opsin photoreceptors outside the eye directly controlling circadian rhythms in a mammal.”
How Neuropsin Allows The Retina to Set its Own Biological Rhythm
One of many light-sensitive pigments was found to set the retina's own biological tempo while others set the body's master clock.
The research is in NeuroImage. (full access paywall)
Researchers: "Neuropsin (OPN5)-mediated photoentrainment of local circadian oscillators in mammalian retina and cornea" by Ethan D. Buhr, Wendy W. S. Yue, Xiaozhi Ren, Zheng Jiang, Hsi-Wen Rock Liao, Xue Mei, Shruti Vemaraju, Minh-Thanh Nguyen, Randall R. Reed, Richard A. Lang, King-Wai Yau, and Russell N. Van Gelder in NeuroImage doi:10.1073/pnas.1516259112
Image: Neuropsin (in blue) was found in nerve cells in the retina of a genetically engineered mouse.Credit: Wendy Yue, Johns Hopkins Medicine.
